


The Rose of the Night

by catfacekathryn



Category: Monsta X (Band), NCT (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Acid, Anger, Bells, Denial, F/M, Fear, Gay, Hesitation, M/M, Roses, Slenderman - Freeform, Willing, but also some are straight, but not a lot of them, vlog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 21:16:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19093303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catfacekathryn/pseuds/catfacekathryn
Summary: A Slenderman story with members of kpop groups.





	1. Minhyuk's Experience

I stood at the edge of the forest. Searching for something in the inky darkness beneath the branches. Waiting for a sound to tell me where I should go, a smell to guide me. A wisp of a silhouette for me to follow. 

When I woke up after that wonderful dream, I assumed it would be morning. But I opened the curtains and saw that it was still night, the moon high in the sky. I'd looked down at the forest, so darkened by shadows, and felt something calling to me. So I opened my window and climbed out, taking small steps towards the forest. And then I was at its edge, waiting. 

The cat meowed and rubbed herself on my legs. I glanced at the cat, and then back up to the forest. Nothing was pulling me into the forest yet, no indication of where I should go, so I crouched down and rubbed the cat's head. She leaned her entire black body into my hand and I smiled. She opened her eyes, her silver irises staring sightlessly at me. Helena was blind. 

Helena turned her attention to the forest, and she took tentative steps towards the trees. Her steps grew more confident as she went, and I started to follow her when I heard the soft tinkling of bells. The farther we went into the forest, the stronger the scent of roses became. Soon, it was completely dark, the only faint lighting coming from stray beams of moonlight that managed to fight their way down through the leaves overhead. 

Helena was walking straight towards a great oak. It was massive, the trunk thick and gnarled, the branches twisting and threading their way ever upward. I looked at the tree in awe, surprised such a large tree was still alive. I noticed the roses wound around the oak, climbing high up the trunk. Some of the rose vines were in the light of the moon, the little bells hanging off of them loosely reflecting the light in shifting patterns as they swung in the light breeze. The music they made intoxicated me, drawing me closer to the tree as I tried to place where I'd heard this tune before. It was on the tip of my tongue, yet I couldn't figure it out exactly. 

A sudden silhouette in front of me made me stop. The smell of roses was suddenly overwhelming. The silhouette in front of me was slightly shorter than me, only about an inch. Their face was covered by a white mask that clung tightly in places, enough to show the sharp jawline and high cheekbones while eliminating any other identifying features. It looked like they had no ears or mouth, their eyes simply hollow white pits, shadowed slightly. The silhouette had a black suit on, with a white shirt and a black tie. I glanced down and saw their feet clad in black shoes. 

The silhouette smiled. I knew they were smiling even though I could see almost nothing of their mouth. It was a feeling I got. The silhouette put their hand on my cheek, the hand bare and cold on my face. The fingers were long and slim, pale white in the moon's light. We were directly in a beam of it suddenly, and the mask seemed to start melting away. 

"Hello, Minhyuk. I've been waiting for you for a long time. I'm glad you've finally come to me," the silhouette said. The mask was a covering of gossamer, becoming ever thinner as he spoke. I could hear that it was a man now. 

"I was glad to come. It is so lovely here. But, if I may ask, who are you exactly, and where are we," I said softly. He smiled at me. 

"I'm so glad you like it. I'm /// and this is my favorite home," he said. His name came out as a tinkling of bells. I realized that's what the tune from earlier was. His name. 

"I can't understand your language. Do you have another name," I asked. His fingers stroked my cheek. 

"That's just fine. It's to be expected when no one has spoken it for so long. Most people call me the Slender Man these days, though most don't come so willingly as you do," he said. The mask was gone now. I was struck by his vibrant eyes, that electric blue that shifted to blood red the closer the color got to his pupils. Every color in his eyes, all the blues, purples, and reds, was absolutely gorgeous. His hair was white as fresh snow, and looked as silky as Helena's long, black fur. 

"You are quite thin, though I don't think Slender Man really fits you all that well. Maybe I could find a better name for you," I suggested as I fell deeper and deeper into the depths of his gorgeous eyes. He smiled gratefully and ruffled my blond hair lightly, staring into my dark brown eyes with satisfaction. 

"Nothing could make me happier, Minhyuk, except possibly one thing. But I don't think you would want that; no one ever does," he said sadly, his eyes looking at the ground. I grabbed his free hand, making him look at me again. 

"What would make you happier than finding you a new name," I asked. I squeezed his hand lightly. 

"The only thing that could make me happier would be you coming with me. Coming with me and never leaving, because even if you do come you might become scared and try to leave. And then I wouldn't have anyone who wants to be around me anymore," he said softly. He sounded on the verge of crying. 

"Of course I want to come with you. And why would I ever want to leave, if it's even half so lovely as it is here. As long as you're there, I'll be content and never leave," I said. He smiled widely. 

"You truly want to come with me," he asked, his words excited and his eyes bright. I nodded. He smiled even wider and hugged me. He sighed in relief as threads of black ink came from his back and wrapped around us. The threads reflected the thin moonlight, making me smile at their beauty. 

They covered us fully before dispersing, leaving me in a clearing in the trees. He hadn't come, but that was fine; he was just looking for others to bring as well. Roses climbed and bloomed everywhere, the silver bells on their vines tinkling softly in a beautiful melody that spelled out his name. 

I looked around and saw people trapped in threads of black, struggling to get out and reaching towards me for help. I was the only one standing free. I shook my head at them, a mocking smile on my face. They cried and screamed as they struggled, the threads cutting into their skin as they pulled. 

"Why won't you help us," a girl screamed at me. I laughed and walked towards her. She was bound up on her knees, hunched forward slightly. 

"It's easy. For one thing, I won't be able to do anything even if I want to. For another, I want to be here. You're all trapped because you want to leave. He needs more people like me and less like you, so in all honesty I should just kill you. I won't though, because he cherishes all of you even though you all reject him. So instead, I'll just leave you here, because this is where he put you and this is where you stay until he says otherwise," I told the kneeling girl. I stood up and walked away. 

A meow by my feet stopped me near a rose covered tree. I looked down and saw that Helena was there, rubbing herself against my legs. I smiled and picked her up, stroking her as I walked through the trees.


	2. Jaehyun's Day

I walked into the school with trudging steps, my dark clothes reflecting my current mood. I hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and I felt awful. That dream hadn't helped either. I couldn't get rid of the disturbing feeling I'd had since I woke up, caused by the kid's willingness to go with that faceless thing. 

Donghyuck ran up to me and threw a his arm around my shoulders in a one armed hug greeting he always gave me. I sighed and rolled my eyes. 

"Hey, Jaehyun, did you hear the news about Minhyuk," he asked. I looked at him quizzically. Minhyuk only had a few friends, and Donghyuck wasn't one of them. Why was he asking if I'd heard something related to him? I shook my head. "Oh, well he went missing last night. His cat Helena too. And that's really weird because she's blind, so she stays in his room. But when his parents went to his room to wake him up Saturday, he and Helena were gone and the window was open. He didn't take anything with him, not even his phone. And he wouldn't leave that behind for anything, even you know that about him." I nodded. Minhyuk was always on his phone in school, the teachers letting him because he still did his work and everything. 

"Maybe he was kidnapped," I suggested as we walked to our shared first hour. 

"Who kidnaps a boy and takes his blind cat with him," Donghyuck countered. 

"Maybe the only way to make him go quietly was to take the cat too. Or the cat could've left the room through the window after he was gone," I said. Donghyuck shook his head. 

"His friends said his footprints went to the forest and stop after a few yards. You know that big forest by his house, with the dead tree like dead in the center of it? Well, that's where his prints were leading before they stopped. And, they say he'd been messing around with some American myths to find this monster they're like all obsessed with. There are even games about the thing, and he was apparently trying to get it over here so he could see it," Donghyuck said quietly. I shook my head. 

"That's just a stupid game, and it's just a made up monster. It's not real. He probably just sleep walked into a river and drowned or something. You know he can't swim. Let's just go to class," I said. He sighed and nodded. As he turned to go to his seat, I thought I saw the reflection of someone in a black suit in the glass of a door, but when I turned my head there was no one behind me. I shrugged and sat in my seat, waiting for class to start. 

Halfway through class, a kid walked in the door, escorted by the principle. His hair was a light grey, like snow that's been in the parking lot for a while and turned a bit black as a result. His eyes were thin blue, like watercolor paints. He had a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. His cheeks were a bit hollow, but otherwise he was very handsome. He could probably become a model with very little effort. 

"Students, calm down. Let him introduce himself before we continue with class," the teacher told us. We all shut up almost immediately. 

"Ah, hello. I'm Lee Taeyong, I've just moved here from Seoul. I hope you will all be kind to me," he said as he bowed slightly. At least he had manners. The last guy who'd moved here was this guy named Min Yoongi, although he called himself Suga for some reason. He liked to rap. He was rude to almost everyone, excepting the few friends he'd made. 

All the girls in class were moving bags so he could sit next to them, some guys too. He ignored them all and sat next to Yoongi. I could hear him asking Yoongi's name from where I sat in the front. I rolled my eyes when he actually responded politely instead of being rude like he usually was. 

Girls kept turning to gawk at him throughout the hour, seemingly astonished by his overwhelming beauty. Not my words, I heard some girls whisper that phrase while they talked about him. Only everyone heard them, because these girls were very bad at whispering. 

The girls were starting to tick me off even more than they used to. I'd finally gotten them to leave me alone last year, after yelling at a few of them when they finally pushed me over the limit. In my defense, all three of them had asked me to marry them and give them kids. They all stopped trying to confess to me after that happened. 

"Hyuna, Seulgi, Soojung, I swear to god if you guys don't stop gawking at Taeyong and "whispering" to each other, I'm going to knock you three out," I hissed at the girls behind me. Their eyes widened and they closed their mouths. They didn't say another word until they were halfway down the hall when class finished. 

Donghyuck dragged me to the lunch room as soon as fourth hour was over. A crowd of people were around the table Yoongi and his friends sat at. Taeyong had joined the other seven boys and was laughing with them like he'd been a part of their group for years. Even Yoongi was laughing, and that was really saying something. Yoongi never laughed at anything. 

As we passed their table, Taehyung stood up and yelled at me. "Hey, Jaehyun. We're having a party in a few days, do you wanna come," he shouted. I sighed and gave him a thumbs up. Taeyong turned his thin blue eyes towards me. I shivered a bit at the strange look on his face as he gave me a little smirk, and I heard him say, "See, Taehyung. I told you he'd come," as we made our way to our table. 

I sat down at our table and slumped forward onto the smooth synthetic wood. "Ugh, can you believe that Taeyong guy? He conned Taehyung into inviting me to the party he's holding in a few days. They've never even wanted to invite me to one of those before, but as soon as pretty boy comes I'm invited as if I'm a regular guest," I complained. 

"Aww, that's no fair! How come they didn't invite us," Chenle pouted. 

"I'm pretty sure it's because we're hardly freshmen, Lele," Jisung told the discouraged Chinese boy. 

"Oh, yeah. Fair point, Sung," Chenle said. I tuned everyone out as I questioned why had such a hard time saying no to people. Besides those stupid, clingy girls anyways.


	3. Yoongi's Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has more violence in it.

Music pulsed through the smoke filled room, shifting lights coloring the smoke as it drifted about, leaving everyone in a colorful, disoriented haze. I'd arranged most of the party, Taehyung taking care of inviting people and Seokjin buying the alcohol since he was the oldest. I couldn't believe Taehyung had invited Jaehyun though, that guy was such a prick, not to mention gay. Why else would he have rejected almost every girl in the school. It was even harder to believe that he'd accepted the invitation. He seemed more like a stay at home, do schoolwork, and read kind of guy. Definitely not a party guy. 

"Hey Yoongi! Issa great party man," someone yelled at me. I turned and saw Jaehyun, drinking a glass of soju while he stood on a table. His grey shirt was soaked either with sweat or water from the pool. I figured it was probably pool water when I saw that his hair was completely soaked, along with his pants. "God, it's so hot though!" He solved that problem by taking off his shirt and throwing it away. He stumbled off the table as he threw his shirt, falling on the floor and landing heavily. I winced involuntarily. He jumped right back up and threw his arms over his head, whooping loudly. I shook my head and walked upstairs. 

I see Taeyong sitting at the top of the stairs. I waved at him and sat down next to him. He smiled when I sat. 

"Hey, Yoongi. It's kinda loud, what do you think about a walk in the forest," Taeyong said loudly. I could barely hear him over the music. I nodded and led him down the stairs, past the pool where Jaehyun was swimming again. He climbed out as we walked by, climbing the diving board ladder and tripping no less than three times on the way up. 

We walked into the forest behind my house. I wasn't scared by the rumors about Minhyuk disappearing in the forest. I'm pretty sure he was suicidal; he probably got fed up with his parents or the bullying at school and ran off to the forest to kill himself. He probably took that stupid blind cat with him, so he would have something to talk to before he did it. 

I turned to say something to Taeyong, but he was gone. I turned around completely, looking for him. I couldn't see him anywhere. Then, I realized I was lost. I'd never seen this part of the forest before, and I'd been through a lot of this forest in my life. 

"Taeyong, where are you," I shouted. There was no response. I started walking to my left, trying to find him. "Taeyong, where'd you go? If this is a prank, you can come out now! It's not funny! It's too dark in this forest to be messing around like this!" Still no reply. The alcohol was starting to affect me. I heard the awful clangor of bells, and a smell of rot surrounded me. I covered my nose and stopped walking again, looking around. "Seriously, Taeyong, come out! This really isn't funny, you're freaking me out!" 

Laughter rang out over those awful bells, a cold sound that sent shivers down my spine. A crack sounded behind me, rustling following afterwards. My mind went back to what I'd heard about Minhyuk disappearing, his footprints leading towards that dead tree in the center of this forest. 

"Taeyong, please, I'm scared," I shouted, tears rolling down my face. My voice was hoarse from shouting. I yelped as something brushed against my shoulder. I'd turned to find where it was, and it brushed against my lower back this time. I started running away, and I screamed when I heard something crashing through the trees behind me. 

The bells got louder, and the smell of rot grew ever stronger. I skidded to a stop in front of a dead tree. Rotting rose vines clung to the tree, broken bells made of rusted metal hanging from the dying branches. I turned around. I was shaking, sobbing, and I wished I had my dog Molly with me. 

The thing kept coming, the noises and smells becoming stronger and louder until something emerged from the tree line in front of me. I backed up, not even noticing as the thorns cut into my skin when I leaned back against the tree. It came closer, with its white masked face and black clad body. It had a suit of black on. 

I turned my head against the tree as it got closer, my face receiving more cuts as I whimpered with closed eyes. It inhaled deeply, and I let out a shuddering sob. 

"Yoongi," it hissed. It's voice was like knives on a chalkboard. "Yoongi, come with me. You'll have such great fun." I shook my head. 

"Go away! I don't want to go with you! What did you do to Taeyong," I yelled, finally reopening my eyes. It's eyes were glowing deep red through the white fabric. It's horrible laugh rang out again. 

"Taeyong is just fine. Don't worry about him, worry about yourself," it hissed at me. 

"Where's Taey-" Something wrapped around my throat. I coughed and tried to pull it off, but it only wrapped around my hands. It was just tight enough to make it hard to breathe while leaving me enough air to live. The thick black threads snaked their way down my arms, pinning them to my throat where I'd been trying to pull the threads off. 

Tears streamed down my face, but the thick, inky strands only absorbed them. The black strands crawled up my face and poured into my mouth, nose and eyes, making me cough and cry and sneeze as my body tried to get rid of it. The thing was just laughing, it's eyes shining through that white mask. 

Just as I thought I'd pass out, the thing disappeared, along with the broken bells and rotting rose vines. I fell forward on my knees and I sucked in air. The inky strands binding me up had all fallen to the ground and been absorbed. I retched as I thought of the ones that had invaded through my mouth, nose, and eyes, but nothing came up. 

"Yoongi," someone yelled. I snapped my head up. "Yoongi, where'd you go?" 

"I-" I coughed as I tried to yell. "I'm here, I'm right over here! Help me!" I coughed as the person ran towards me. It was Taeyong. When he saw me, he turned briefly. 

"Guys, he's over this way," he yelled behind him before running toward me. I hugged him when he reached me, and sobbed into his shoulder. Jungkook, Seokjin, and the others all ran out of the woods in front of me. Namjoon and Jimin looked around in a mixture of awe and horror. They'd never been here before. Hoseok and Taehyung pushed them and they all came and hugged me. 

When they pulled away, Taeyong pulled me up and led me out of the forest. I whimpered every time a branch or leaf brushed against me. All the flowers smelled noxious and were giving me headaches. Every time the leaves rustled I yelped a little. I kept seeing it out of the corner of my eye. 

They were going to take me back into my house, but the music was so loud I felt like it would split my head in two. So I went to Jungkook's house instead, where I tried to go to sleep. Every time I would manage to fall asleep, I'd be back against the tree, the inky threads climbing into my eyes, blinding me, and crawling through my mouth and nose, burning my tongue and choking off my airflow even more. I'd wake up and see it, hear it, smell it everywhere. 

I finally feel asleep when Jungkook climbed into bed and cuddled with me. Then of course, I woke up and thought Jungkook was that monster from the woods, and I screamed and almost punched him. I went to the bathroom and saw all the cuts from the thorns, the bruises and the deep black stains. I took a shower, trying to scrub the stains off my skin, but I freaked when the water started filling my mouth. I coughed and shouted and stumbled out of the shower. 

Namjoon found me shaking on the bathroom tile, cold and damp and naked, the water still running despite the water having turned cold. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. I clung to him as he carried me back to Jungkook's bed. He let me snuggle into him so I could sleep. Jungkook's blankets were thick and so, so warm, but I was colder than I'd ever been.


	4. Seulgi's Goodbye

Yoongi has been acting strange since that party he had. He was so sacred of everything, and the only one who could fully calm him down was Taeyong, even though he'd been friends with the others for so much longer. It feels unfair to his other friends that he's become so distant from them, clinging to Taeyong like his life depends on it. 

I've been experiencing weird things anytime Yoongi is in the same room as me. Sometimes I'll smell the faint scent of roses, and other times I hear delicate bells that sound like the wind chimes on our front porch. Sometimes I'll see a man in a black suit with a white mask on the edges of my vision, but he's always gone when I turn my head. I don't understand why these things are only happening around Yoongi, and why they're only happening to me. 

My house is near that forest, the one Minhyuk disappeared into, the one that made Yoongi change. Everyone who lives around that forest made a decision to stay out of the forest. But who really thinks we're all staying out of something that's been a part of all our lives since we were young. I certainly don't think that's reasonable at all. I love the forest. 

Sometimes I take walks and take videos of myself, so I can share the forest with everyone. That's what I decided to do today. It was cool out, so I dressed warmer than usual. I took my phone and walked to the edge of the forest. I turned on the camera and started recording, using the outward camera so the forest could be seen. Nothing strange was happening. I couldn't find any reason to be afraid of the forest. 

I can't be entirely sure when I realized I was hearing the bells, those pretty ones like wind chimes that started up when I was around Yoongi. I was smelling the roses too. I stopped and looked around, listening to see if I could hear anyone moving. I couldn't, but I called out all the same. 

"Yoongi? Are you there," I called out. No response. I tried again, "Yoongi, I can hear your bells. How did you manage to make them sound like my wind chimes? It smells like roses again too, is that some new cologne? I've been smelling it when I'm around you recently." Still nothing. "I guess I must be hallucinating then. There have never been roses in this forest." 

I started walking again. The smell of roses got stronger the farther I walked, and the bell-chimes got louder. The bell-chimes were probably loud enough to be heard on recording now. I took a few more steps, and I saw him again. On the edge of my vision on the left. I turned towards him, taking the camera with me, but he was gone. 

"Yoongi, are you sure you aren't out here? I saw him again, just now on my left. That man that always stands just beyond the edge of my sight. You know him right? The man in the black suit and white mask? You must see him too, because I only see him around you. Just like I only experience the roses and bell-chimes around you. So where are you," I said into the still air around me. Still no response from Yoongi. However, there was a response of a different kind. A brushing of something against my cheek. I touched it and my hand came away coated with black ink. 

My memory went back to the stuff that had been on Yoongi's skin when they brought him out of the forest. I'd been watching at the party as they walked him past, taking him to Jungkook's place. I thought I imagined that. 

"Yoongi, the black ink on your skin after the party, you didn't make it up. It's on my hand now. Something brushed my cheek and I touched it, and now it's on me too. What is it, Yoongi? What happened in the forest," I said. I started walking again. I kept feeling things brushing against my skin and my clothes. 

I stopped when I noticed the tree in front of me. It was in a big clearing, and the lower branches were covered in dead leaves and stunted rose vines. Bells were hanging on the vines, and wind chimes dangled loosely on the branches overhead. 

I walked closer, and noticed the black ink on the vines. But there weren't any thorns, so where had Yoongi gotten all those cuts? 

Seulgi something said. It sounded like a man with middle pitched voice. 

"You're not Yoongi," I responded. 

How clever of you to notice. Why have you been calling for Yoongi all this time? There were others in the forest too, others who aren't afraid of their shadows. Yoongi can hardly look in the mirror, how do you expect him to come back here after what happened to him

"I...well I don't know, he could have..." I trailed off, unable to explain. 

Yes, he suddenly got brave enough to revisit a place that traumatized him. Very likely in my opinion

"So who are you then," I asked. There was a short silence. 

I'm the one who made friends with Minhyuk. He's lovely. You guys never appreciated him enough, so I helped him feel loved. He still feels loved, by the way 

I'm the one who scared Yoongi so badly. It's not my fault he wouldn't come with me. He resisted too much

"Oh. Well, can you stop hiding from me? It's very rude where I come from," I said. In an instant, he stood in front of me. His mask was still on, his black suit immaculate. I noticed droplets of black ink falling from his fingertips. "Why have you got that mask on? And why have you been touching me so much? If I were anyone else, you'd be getting punched right now."

"You're a strange one, Seulgi. Resisting me but coming at the same time. How peculiar. It's rude to hide where I come from too, by the way," he told me. I scoffed. 

"Well, if you know it's rude, why'd you do it," I demanded. 

"So you would be curious. So you would wonder what I am. So you would do something reckless to try and find me. Like coming into this forest. That was very reckless indeed. Even going so far as to video tape it. I'll make sure your phone gets where it needs to once you come with me," he said. My fingers cramped suddenly and I dropped my phone. It landed camera up, still filming, but I didn't really notice at all. I was too focused on the man. 

"I'll go with you if you take off your mask. Or if you won't, at least tell me who you are. I really wanna know," I said to him. 

"You know me. And if you don't think you do, you've still seen me many times. I don't feel like taking it off right now, so that'll have to work. Does it," he asked. I nodded. I had a few people in mind. 

I was about to ask if he was one of the people I was thinking of, but I suddenly found myself sitting beneath a tree next to Minhyuk. He was sitting with his blind cat, Helena, in his lap. 

"Oh, hey Seulgi. I'm glad you joined him. Yoongi was an idiot to say no. He's so nice, I don't understand why Yoongi didn't want to come too," he said when he noticed me. 

"Hey, Minhyuk. Did you see him trying to take Yoongi," I asked. I was curious. No one had said anything about Minhyuk being there. 

"Yeah, I was sitting in the tree with Helena. No one ever looks up unless something makes them. Like the chimes made you look up tonight. Hey, I've been trying to figure out a better name for him than Slender Man. What do you think of Rose of the Night? You know, since there are always roses and he always comes at night," Minhyuk suggested. I nodded. 

"That sounds good," I said. I noticed my phone on the ground beside me. I picked it up. The video was paused. It looked like it had stopped recording just after I came here. I clicked the record button, starting the recording again. 

"He is the Rose of the Night. Don't worry about us. We're safe with him. Goodbye, everyone. I hope you'll join us soon," I said. Helena meowed just before I ended the recording and set my phone on the ground again. I turned and talked to Minhyuk more as my phone sank through the ground, not noticing at all. Not that I'd have cared if I did see. Minhyuk and Helena were more interesting right now, as he told me about this place and all the other people bound up. We were the only two who were here unbound. 

We were the only ones who wanted to be here.


	5. Jaehyun's Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun is as close as it gets to a main character in this book.

Seulgi's video sent everyone into panic. It was uploaded onto her YouTube channel, where she posted all her videos of her forest walks. But she hadn't been seen since the day it was uploaded, and no one knew who'd uploaded it, especially since her phone was nowhere to be found. Her parents had put out a missing person's report eight days ago. They had no clues on who the masked man was, and he hadn't said a word in the video despite Seulgi responding as if someone had talked. 

At the end of her video, she'd told us the man was the rose of the night, although most people recognized him as Slender Man, and many people had been sure they saw Minhyuk for a few seconds and heard his cat meowing. Seulgi saying 'we' only strengthened that belief. Seulgi had disappeared in the video; there before a static glitch in the screen, absent from the screen for a few seconds after it was back to normal. Only the masked man remained until the video switched to her last words and ended. 

I was very confused. Seulgi had been in front of that tree in the forest, the one Yoongi was attacked at. There were stunted rose vines on the tree in the video, bells on the vines and chimes in the tree branches. The rose vines looked like they were thornless though, and Yoongi had gotten cut by the rose vines. Seulgi was covered with smears of black, the thick liquid on her arms, legs, face, and clothing. I know I saw Minhyuk in the tree branches above her, Helena playing with some of the bells as he stared at the masked man. I hadn't found anyone else that saw him though. They never looked in the right spot. 

I was more confused by the changes I noticed in Taeyong. His hair was whiter, although he could've just dyed it. Was confused me more was that his eyes, which were such a painfully thin blue when he came, had gotten almost thicker, the blue becoming more vibrant. His eyes were more like really deep water as opposed to the watercolor blue they'd been before. None of my friends had noticed yet. His cheeks had sunken in ever so slightly, though. He ate a lot, so it added onto my already immense confusion. 

I sat at the lunch table and took a bit of my little pizza. It was our monthly American food day. My friends were all chatting with each other as they ate. 

"Hey guys. What do you think about Seulgi's video," I asked. They stared at me oddly. We hadn't talked about it yet. 

"I saw Minhyuk twice, once in that tree above Seulgi and that one time at the end before Helena meowed," Chenle spoke up. 

"I did too, he was smiling. He never smiled before. Where do you think they were," Jisung agreed. 

"I don't know, but did you hear the people screaming for help in the background? I swear I smelled roses too, before she mentioned them because she thought Yoongi was out there. It was really weird," Donghyuck said. I stared at him incredulously. He was so weird sometimes. 

Before I could tell him that there was no way he smelled roses through a video, he got distracted by Mark Lee walking by. Mark was from Canada, and Donghyuck had a massive crush on him. Mark stopped and looked at Donghyuck, looking honestly surprised about something. 

"Uhm, hi. I'm Mark Lee. I've got no clue how I haven't met you before, you're like a whole sun. What's your name," the Canadian boy said. Donghyuck blushed brightly. 

"It's uhm, my name is Haechan," he blurted out. I stared at him. He'd never used that name before, so I didn't understand why he would now. They ended up exchanging numbers and he looked up at us sheepishly after he'd left to sit down. 

"Who the hell is 'Haechan'? You've never used that name before, where'd it even come from," Jisung asked. Donghyuck scowled. 

"My name is really stupid, and he's from Canada so it'll be even worse. I didn't want him to make fun of me or anything, so I just made up a name. Don't tell him my real name, please. I'll do anything," he begged. He never begged. I sighed. I wasn't going to make him do anything. The younger two had other plans though. They smiled evilly and rubbed their hands together. Donghyuck visibly paled. 

"You have to dress up in girls clothes at our sleepover tonight, makeup included. And, you have to let us see and take three-no five pictures each," Chenle said. Donghyuck gave a resigned nod. I laughed at him for a while before I noticed that Taeyong was looking at Mark's table. I thought it was weird, so I looked away before he could turn those new blue eyes to me.


	6. Johnny's Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied violence

I sat down at the lunch table, glaring at the American pizza. I wasn't feeling American food day right now, but I didn't have a choice ones whether to get food or not. I handed it off to Shownu, one of my friends. I knew he'd take my plate later too, so I rested my head in my hands, covering my eyes with my long bangs. I'd been feeling bad all day. 

One of my other friends, Doyoung, noticed that I hadn't eaten anything. He tapped my shoulder, holding out a green apple. I took it and smiled gratefully at him. I loved apples. I took a bite of it, humming in contentment at the delicious taste and slightly sour juice. I finished it just as Shownu finished his food, including the pizza I'd given him. He stood up to throw away some trash and put up the trays, taking the apple core in my hand without a question. 

We only had five minutes left in our lunch hour when I started feeling sick. I covered my hand with my mouth and took deep breaths, hoping it would help. That really only made it worse. I lurched to my feet and started towards the bathroom, ignoring Shownu, Doyoung, and the others yelling for me to wait up.

I reached the bathroom, and something in my head caused me to push the heavy trash can in front of the door. I threw up in the toilet of a bathroom stall a few times, eyes shut tightly. I had a headache now. They were banging in the door, yelling for me to let them in, but it only made my headache worse. I wiped my mouth with my hand and stood up, using the walls to support myself. I opened my eyes when I reached the sinks, and I let out a gasp at the thick, inky liquid that was dripping from the corner of my mouth. It was smeared across my cheek, on my hand, and around my mouth. I tried to wash it off, but it was very difficult. Like grease on a pan, it just wanted to smear around without really coming all the way off. My skin was red by the time they'd stopped banging on the door. I gave up then. 

I rubbed my face on my sleeves in a last attempt to clean myself. I shoved the trash can away from the door and opened it, seeing Taeyong and Shownu standing there. Shownu made sense, but Taeyong didn't. I wasn't friends with him. 

"Thank god, you're okay," Shownu whispered, hugging me tightly. I shoved him away when it made me want to throw up again. 

"I'm fine, Shownu. I just felt sick for a bit, that's all. I'm fine now. But, why is Taeyong here," I asked quietly. 

"Oh, Doyoung went for the nurse and he said he'd help me get the door opened if it became necessary. You can go now, Taeyong. He's fine," Shownu said, turning to the boy with pale hair and bright blue eyes. He nodded and walked away, not sparing me another glance. "Let's get you to the nurse, now. You felt really hot." I nodded and let Shownu pick me up and carry me. It would've been a problem for most people as tall as I was, but Shownu was strong so it balanced out. 

When he set me on the bed, I saw Doyoung talking to the nurse in a corner of the room. He glanced over and gave me a small smile. Shownu gave me a last hug before going to his class. Doyoung followed him shortly after, giving me a hug before he left completely. The nurse told me to take a nap, so I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the bad taste in my mouth and the sickeningly sweet scent of the nurse's roses. I groaned and questioned why she had them, and why she wasn't answering the phone. It had an annoying ringtone, like Christmas bells that were half broken. 

I woke up in the dark, breathing heavily, terrified out of my mind. I thought I felt something touching me. My head spun from the combination of her cloying roses and broken bells. It was too much all at once. I started coughing, trying to clear my throat of whatever was trying to claw it's way upwards. 

I felt a hand on my wrist, and I turned my head to see a suit clad man with a white mask on. His hand felt sticky, and I figured out why when I yanked my arm away. My wrist was covered in the black ink I'd thrown up earlier. I yelled in surprise when he touched me again, my face this time, and I hissed in pain when the ink started burning my skin. His eyes were a violently bright blue, seeming to glow in the darkness. His mask was hanging off his head in shreds, still clinging tight in a few places. He scared the hell out of me. 

Johnny

Somehow I knew it was the masked man talking, although I hadn't seen his mouth move. 

Would you like to come with me? You won't feel anymore of this pain if you come. I know Minhyuk would appreciate more friends. He enjoys Seulgi

"You know where Seulgi and Minhyuk are? Everyone's been looking for them, where'd they go," I asked. For some reason, I was suddenly frantic to find them. 

They're here. But also, they aren't 

"That makes no sense. Can I bring them back? Minhyuk's parents really miss him, and Seulgi's friends are so depressed without her," I told the man. 

It may be just me, but I feel it should be the other way around. Minhyuk's friends should miss him, and Seulgi's family should be sad without her. Seulgi needed more family, and Minhyuk more friends. Would you like to be family and friend to them

This guy was really freaking me out. Something about his smile. It looked too misplaced on his face, like he wasn't used to the kind of smile he was giving. "I-I'm not sure. Maybe I should ask my parents first, so they don't wonder where I've gone. They'll miss me. I'll come back, I-I swear," I said shakily. The man shook his head, and opened his mouth to speak this time. 

"That can't happen Johnny. Come with me now, or I'll kill you"


	7. Donghyuck's Closet

Donghyuck has a closet in his house. Most people do, but he has a closet. A closet we've been going into for the past few weeks now. After the first three days in his closet, he told me his name was Donghyuck, not Haechan. And I just smiled and told him I knew. He blushed crimson at that, in embarrassment and shame I think. It's never fun to be caught lying, after all. 

We talk in his closet, about life and cats and everything else. Our fears, our dreams. Our feelings. We agreed to always tell the truth in his closet. So, I'm scared right now. Because he's telling me that he's been seeing something in the corner for the past few days. 

Everyone at school has been whispering; about Donghyuck and I, and how we've been getting closer since Johnny was put in the hospital. 

That was strange, to tell the truth. His friends said he was feeling bad after lunch, and he ran to the bathroom and threw up. Only he locked himself in the bathroom by pushing a trashcan in front of the door. And then he went to the nurse's office, and the nurse left him to sleep. When she came back hours later, his eyes were wide open, threads of ink trailing their way down his cheeks, leaking from his eyes, and he had bruises around his throat and a few slashes on his wrists. Like a lion's claws would make. He's been in a coma, and he hasn't woken up yet. If he does wake up, he'll be blind because of the combination of ink in his eyes and the damage caused by the strangulation. 

I sat next to Donghyuck at lunch, staring at him while idly listening to his friends chattering. Nothing has happened since Johnny got hurt. That's how it's been; something happens, and then weeks of nothing before something else happens. The police are confused, because every event has been a different situation, a different event, only sharing the white masked man. That's what they were talking about today, Jaehyun leading the conversation as always. 

Donghyuck is looking at me now. I smile at him, and he blushes and looks away. I turn his head back towards me with a gentle hand on his chin. His eyes are wide with surprised, his blush showing through his tanned skin. I smile briefly before pressing a light kiss to his lips and letting him go, smiling at his cuteness when he hides his face with his hands. His little sweater paws make him look even softer than he already is. 

The others are staring now. I smirk at them before I go back to staring at the full sun sitting next to me. I throw one of my legs over the lunch bench and scoot closer to him, wrapping my arms around him and putting my chin on top of his head. He melts into my embrace despite the fact that he was probably telling himself not to. 

"Sorry but not sorry to interrupt, but since when have you two been a thing?"

"Have you not been paying attention, Jaehyun? They've been like this since Johnny... Well, it's been weeks!"

"Chill Jisung, we all know he's not the most observant."

"Says Chenle, the densest boy in the world..."

"So bitter, Jisung. It's not Chenle's fault, this is just how he is, and you know it!"

"Yea yea, shut up Jaehyun."

I turned to them and frowned. They looked confused, and I just clucked at them in disappointment and shook my head. 

"Bickering brings down the mood of the table and everyone at it. I don't want you guys dimming the sun with your squabbles. Now eat your fruits and be quiet," I said in my best disapproving mother tone. They sighed and picked at the peaches. I nodded in approval and turned back to Donghyuck. He was peeking at me from behind his hands. He squeaked when I caught him staring and looked away. Towards Taeyong, who had his back turned at the table next to ours. He turned and glanced at us and turned away after chuckling. I huffed and pulled Donghyuck closer. He laughed, and then the bell to go back to class rang. 

I met him at the school doors once we were let out for the day. We held hands all the way back to his house. We put our stuff on his bed and sat in his closet, pulling the door closed. I rested my forehead on his in the darkness, letting my breath mingle with his. 

"Mark, don't look because he'll disappear, but he's here again," Donghyuck whispered to me. I frowned. 

"How can you see him? I can't even see you and I'm right in front of you," I whispered back. 

"I don't know how I can see him, I just can. He's there," he whispered back. I just nodded, and sat in silence with him. 

A hand trailed down my spine and I frowned. I knew what Donghyuck's hands felt like, and it wasn't the same as the hand that had touched me. His callused fingers would have caught on the fabric of such a soft shirt, and whoever had touched me had smooth hands, unmarked by the guitar like Donghyuck's were. 

"Donghyuck, someone just touched me," I told him. 

"It was him. He touched you, I watched him. He wants you," Donghyuck whispered. He sounded strange. Like some fanatic talking about a god. 

"Donghyuck, why are you talking like that," I whispered. I pulled my head away from his. I was scared. When I pulled away, I ran into someone's legs. I tilted my head back, and saw someone in a white mask leaning over me. His face was directly above mine, and I could've sworn I'd seen him somewhere before. Particularly his eyes, even though they kept shifting colors so I couldn't get a definite grasp on what color they were. And then, I screamed. 

As soon as the scream left my mouth, a bubble of what looked like black latex surrounded me. It terrified me, and I screamed again. Before I could even think, it shrank around me. I wasn't left any room to move or breathe, and it seemed it was trying to shrink into me even more. 

Mark. Don't struggle. Johnny tried to struggle, but I don't work that way. I need immediate answers, and he tried to stall. Don't stall, Mark. Will you come with Donghyuck and I

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. If Donghyuck was going with him, so was I. "Take me to Donghyuck."


	8. Jaemin's Crush

It's heartless to say this, but people disappearing has become boring and commonplace. It's expected by now. Panic ensues when no one disappears for a while. Everyone scrambles to someplace that makes them feel safe, somewhere they hope won't lead to their disappearance. 

My safe place is Huang Renjun. He makes me feel loved and wanted. He makes me feel normal when most everyone makes fun of me for my girlish pink hair and the uncontrollable twitching in my left eye and the shaking that came with it. It's not my fault my left eye twitched and shook, but it never mattered. It just made me an easy target. 

My eye was twitching now, and shaking as well. I tried to keep my eyes closed to make it stop, but it wasn't working too well. It hardly ever worked. I started blinking, hoping that would put my left eye back into the rhythm my right eye kept. I gasped as the man flashed before my eyes again, everytime I closed them. The man everyone was scared of these days. The Rose. The Slenderman. Whatever he was called, I was seeing him. I needed my safe place. 

I stood up and went to find Renjun. The teachers had gotten used to me running off, and I got good enough grades that they let me go without complaint. I couldn't remember exactly what class he had, but there were only two that came to my mind. Algebra and physical education. 

I checked algebra first, because that was the class I wanted him to be in. When I swept my shaking gaze over the room to see he wasn't there, I apologized for interrupting and lamented my bad luck. He was in physical education. I jogged to the gym as fast as I could and leaned against the door to the room and panted. After I caught my breath, I opened the door and walked in. I drew attention the moment the door opened, and Renjun ran over to me when he noticed I was the one that had interrupted dodgeball. 

"What's wrong, Min," he said quietly, leading me to the bleachers to sit down. 

"It's nothing much, Junnie. Just my eye shaking again, and... Nothing," I told him. He hugged me and I could almost feel his frown. 

"And what? Please tell me, Min. You might hurt more if you don't let it out," he said soothingly. I sighed and nodded slightly. 

"I'm seeing him, Junnie. The Rose, Slenderman, whatever I'm supposed to call him. Whenever my eye twitches and shakes, he pops up before my eyes. I'm not scared of him taking me, but I don't want to leave without you," I whispered. He pulled me closer and sighed. 

"We've got something in common then, cause I'm seeing him too. But, if we stay together, I'm sure we'll be fine," he whispered in my ear. I nodded and leaned against him. His ability to calm me was magical. My eye had settled down, but he was still there. Staring at me from behind that white mask. 

"Do you see him, Junnie? He's here. It smells like roses and jasmine. I can hear that bell your bird used to have, the bell he rung when he was hungry. What was his name, again? I forgot," I murmured. 

"It was RJ. RJ loved that bell, he rang it when he wasn't even hungry. You're right, his bell is ringing again. And I can smell the rose, but I smell vanilla instead of jasmine. I can almost see him, what do you think he wants, Min," Renjun asked me quietly. 

"I think he wants us. But I'm not sure we should go yet. I've still got some stuff I want to do," I said. Before he could respond, I blinked and the masked man was gone along with his bells and flowers. "I should go back to class. I'll see you later, Junnie." I kissed his cheek, probably shocking him because it was the first time I'd done it, and I walked off. 

He caught up to me in the halls. He grabbed my wrist and spun me around to face him. Before I could register what was going on, he was kissing me. When we broke apart, I almost forgot to breathe. I coughed when he asked me a question with five words. 

"Will you be my boyfriend?" I nodded excitedly and kissed him again, and when I reopened my eyes we were no longer in the school hallway. We were in a forest clearing, and I noticed some people sitting down and looking at us. I recognized them; Minhyuk, Seulgi, Mark, and Donghyuck. I could hear other people screaming and begging to be let out, people who hadn't wanted to come. 

"Renjun, Jaemin, you came! Join us, we were having a tea party," Donghyuck invited us with excitement. We smiled happily and sat down. Renjun dug in while I smirked at Donghyuck and Mark. 

"I guess he really did take you two. Everyone thought you ran away with each other, since you disappeared at the same time. Although, technically you did run away with each other, since you came here together," I said. Mark blushed and Donghyuck laughed. 

I felt so comfortable here. I'd be free to do what I wanted here. I smiled and took a sip of the thick black tea. It tasted like jasmine, with a hint of rose petals.


	9. Hyunwoo's Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has some violence in it, but not a whole lot(?). Most of these don't have very graphic violence cause I'm not good at writing it...

My life was relatively calm. Sometimes I was described as a "stone-faced" guy, because I didn't always show much expression. Nothing much happened to me or because of me; it was only after Minhyuk went missing that my life went crazy. 

I watched from the background as the monster went through Yoongi, and Seulgi, and Johnny, and Mark and Donghyuck, and then Jaemin and Renjun. I was trying to find the connection between all of them, other than the monster. There had to be something, but no one talked about anything weird before they saw him. And if they did, then I guess the people they talked to went with them. 

All of the things happening were taking their toll on me. I could see the difference in myself. I got more violent, more hot tempered. Sometimes I felt like I was the only one trying to figure out how to fix things, how to get rid of the monster; how to get Minhyuk back. He'd been my friend. Well, kind of. I'm not sure anyone but Helena was really his friend. None of us quite understood him, and it seems likely to me at least that that blind cat would forever be the only one who truly knew him. 

I got too caught up in my thoughts. I ran into Hyungwon, a different friend of mine. He tripped over his feet, and mine, and fell backwards onto the floor. All his things spilled out of his arms and onto the white tiled floor. And for whatever reason, it made me angry. 

Before I knew it, Hoseok was pulling me off of him and I'd swung at Hoseok too. He just took it and kept his grip on my arm, dragging me farther away from Hyungwon, bloody and nearly unconscious on the floor. Everything drained out of me when I saw what I did to him. 

Hoseok took me to the nurse to get my hand bandaged, despite my protests, and then we went to the principal's office. He left me there, and I sat in silence, staring at my mangled hands. I'd taken off my bandages. My right was more screwed up than my left, as a result of me being right-handed. My fingers and knuckles were thoroughly bruised, some of my knuckles even split open, and were starting to swell quite a lot. My left hand was less swelled up, the swelling already slowing down. That hand was probably about as bad as it was going to get. It also had some bruising, and I could move my fingers a bit. Different story with my right hand. Those fingers wouldn't move for shit. 

The door opened, tearing my attention away from my hands. Hoseok walked in with Hyungwon, whose face had been cleaned up. Despite that, he still had many bruises, and he had bandages over his nose and a part of his jaw, and he'd have had some on his lips too, if they made bandages for that. He had a black eye, and his lips looked more swollen than they usually did. I went to stand up and go over to him, to apologize, but a look from Hoseok stopped me. He carefully set Hyungwon in the chair next to me, quickly moving another chair in between us and putting himself in it; he didn't trust me to be near my friend without hurting him. I didn't exactly trust myself anymore, either. 

Hyungwon wasn't looking at me. He looked tense just sitting in the chair. I bit my lip and clenched my left fist, the other one throbbing and too swollen to move. I wished it would move, so it would hurt more. I wished it would hurt so I'd be reminded of how much Hyungwon must hurt right now. 

The principal walked in, and visibly winced when he saw Hyungwon. He sat in his desk chair and closed his eyes for a few moments. He opened them and looked at Hoseok. 

"Hoseok, I'd say it's good to see you, but it's not in this situation. What happened today," the principal asked. 

"Mr. Lee. I'm really not quite sure. So uhm, well I guess I should explain about recently. Hyunwoo has been trying to find Minhyuk and the others. He's been trying really hard, and I think it's been messing with him. He thinks there's this monster doing it -well, everyone does, kind of- but he can hardly find anything on it. He's been getting frustrated. It's, it's way easier to tick him off than it used to be. He hasn't hurt anyone though, so I figured it would just go away. I didn't see the beginning of the fight today, but I was the one who stopped it. I took Hyunwoo to the nurse, for his hand," at that, Hoseok glanced at my hand, which was unbandaged, and continued with a frown, "though he apparently took his bandages off. Then I put him in here and went to get Hyungwon; Changkyun, Jooheon, and Kihyun took him to the nurse. That's all." Mr. Lee nodded and turned to me. 

"Hyunwoo, why did you hurt Hyungwon," the principal asked me, sternly but softly. I hesitated, and would've fidgeted with my hands, only my hands were on fire. 

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not quite sure. I was thinking about Minhyuk and the others, and I got lost in my thoughts. I wasn't watching where I was going, and it was my fault that I ran into Hyungwon. But when he fell and dropped his stuff, I just... I got angry, and I don't know why. I kinda blacked out after that, and I only came to my senses when Hoseok was taking me away from him. I really didn't mean to, at least I don't think I did, I'm not quite sure, I..." I groaned as my head throbbed suddenly. I put my left hand to my head and groaned at the pain that came with that action. My vision danced with red and blue spots before I squeezed them shut at another wave of pain. I waited until my head cleared up and lowered my hand, opening my eyes slowly. 

I screamed when I saw the white masked man in the corner. His eyes were a violent magenta through the shredded mask. Tufts of colorless hair fell through the ripped fabric. His mouth, what I could see of it, was wide in a feral grin. Toxic black liquid dripped off his lips and burned holes through the fabric of his mask. His black suit was smoking from multiple holes near the top, and I could see pale strips of skin though the shredded pant legs. The veins I saw through the smoking, shredded cuffs were black, and thick, dark ink was beading up on his hands and forearms and slipping down to the floor. 

I became aware of a horrible clangor of bells when Hyungwon started calling my name. The stench of rotting roses suffocated me when Hoseok put a tentative hand to my shoulder. I shrugged him off, turned my head away, and tensed my jaw as a water thin voice tried to worm its way into my head. 

"Hyunwoo, what's going on with you," Hyungwon shouted. It snapped me away from the bells and roses. I stared at him, my eyes wide, breathing heavily. 

"H-he's here, Hyungwon. The thing that took Minhyuk away is here. He's terrifying me," I said quietly. I could hear the tears in my voice, and suddenly the bells were louder than anything I'd ever heard, the rotting roses stronger than any chemical. And his water thin voice slipped into my head in the moment of shock and terror that came from the sudden overloading of my senses. 

Hyunwoo. Minhyuk misses you. He's told me so

"He's not with you! He's not really there! Minhyuk would never be around something like you!"

You don't know your friend as well as you should. If you come with me, you can change that. I know you want to be better to him

"You're right! I don't know him! But you don't know him either! Only Helena does!"

I know Minhyuk, and I know Helena too. They'd both like you to come with me. If you come with me, you can walk around and talk with him and everyone else freely. I might have to take you though. You wouldn't like it at all if I had to do that

"Just don't take me then! Leave us all alone! Give everyone back and go away!"

If only I could. But I'm stuck here, and Minhyuk wants you. So, I'm quite obliged to take you with me

He didn't let me say anything after that. My vision was suddenly engulfed in a whirling cloud of black. It hurt, badly, and I screamed. Even when the black receded, my skin was still burning. I was held against a rotted, mossy tree trunk by a mesh of the toxic black ink that had been on him. I tried to rip it away, but my hands were still dysfunctional. I had a feeling they'd never function again. I sobbed as the ink made my skin smoke. I passed out at some point. 

When I woke up, Minhyuk was in front of me, stroking Helena in his arms. Her sightless eyes were staring right at me. Seulgi was looking at me over Minhyuk, her hands resting on his shoulder as her silky hair fell forward. Mark had Donghyuck on his back to the left, and Renjun and Jaemin were holding hands to the right. 

Minhyuk had this smile on his face. It was more genuine than any I'd seen on him before, and it scared me. Because it wasn't a kind smile at all. 

"Aww, Hyunwoo! Why didn't you want to come see us? I told him you'd want to be with us, and now that's a lie! Oh well, I guess all that really matters is that you're finally here. I liked you most out of everyone. Oh, look at the state of your hands! Seulgi, baby, can you go get some stuff for his hands," he said, turning his head to look at her better. She smiled and nodded. 

"Sure thing, babe. Be right back," she said. She kissed him, on the lips, and jogged off. 

"Who'd you fight, Hyunwoo," Donghyuck asked loudly from Mark's back. He'd always been loud and a bit over the top. I opened my mouth to answer, but Seulgi came back and poured something like molasses over my right hand at the moment. I felt it burning into flesh and I screamed. 

"Guys, look! He's so happy to be here!"


	10. Jaehyun's Fright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little disturbing closer to the end, well it might be for some, not sure really

The news about the fight spread quickly. Before the day was over, the whole school knew that Son Hyunwoo had beat up his friend Chae Hyungwon. Moreover, everyone knew who Hyungwon was now, whereas only those who shared classes with him had known him when the day began. 

Everyone was dying to see the lanky brunet, and the bruises from his big friend who hadn't been seen since they went into the principal's office. While everyone was focusing on the victim, I was wondering about the assailant. Where was Hyunwoo at?

Hyungwon was trying to avoid everyone as much as possible, but even so he was being hounded by curious students at every step. I felt bad for him, so I stepped in. 

"Everyone leave, now. Leave Hyungwon alone and mind your own business," I said, pushing through the crowd and standing in front of the taller boy. When they didn't move, I glared at them and cracked my knuckles. They started dissipating, until everyone was gone. 

"Uhm, thank you Jaehyun," he said. I turned around and gave him a smile. 

"Of course, it's my pleasure to help. They were being nosey and getting in your way," I said. He nodded and started walking to class, and I followed him since we were in the same class. 

His bruises were prominent, dark on his jaw and lips, and around his left eye. The bandages were meant to be skin toned, but he was so pale they didn't match. 

"Are you just going to stare too," he asked dejectedly. I frowned. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I was uhm, I was wondering about Hyunwoo. Where'd he go," I asked. Hyungwon froze, and I nearly ran into him. He was tensed up suddenly, and I wondered if it was because Hyunwoo had beaten him up earlier. "I'm sorry for asking, I was just curious. If you don't want to talk about him, it's-"

"Can you keep a secret," he asked. He'd turned around to face me, and his eyes were darting all over the place. I nodded, puzzled. "Okay, good. Follow me." 

He started walking away, in the direction of the principal's office. I followed him, out of curiosity and the need to understand. He put a hand on the doorknob and knocked when he reached the wooden door. It was opened quickly, and he grabbed my hand and pulled me in. 

It was dark in the office, and there was a smoky smell to the room. I didn't notice anything at first, but Principal Lee and Hyungwon were both staring at the corner of the room behind me. 

So I turned, and looked into the corner as well. As my eyes adjusted to the unnatural darkness in that corner, details emerged. Threads of a black, inky substance were strung all over the place. Some of them dripped with the thick liquid, and the walls and carpet were smoking in places that were in contact with the stuff. A bloody fabric was hanging in the midst of the threads. I realized it was a bandage after staring at it for a few moments. It was the only thing not smoking in that corner. 

"What is this," I asked Hyungwon and the principal. 

"This is what happened to Hyunwoo. The Rose took him. It just...netted him with that stuff, and they disappeared. Hyunwoo was yelling at something before it took him, and he fought before they vanished. This is all that's left," Hyungwon said. The principal nodded. He was afraid of being taken. They both were, I could see it in their eyes. 

"You saw the thing that took him," I asked. They both nodded. "What did it look like?" The principal was the one to answer this time. 

"It had a white mask on, and a black suit with a white dress shirt. It was barefoot, and its feet were dirty. The whole suit was. It was torn up around the bottom of the pant legs, and on the arms of the suit jacket. There was dirt smeared everywhere, and bits of plants were stuck in the rips. The mask was the only thing completely clean. It was terrifying," he said. Hyungwon nodded. 

"No bells, though. Or roses," I questioned. They shook their heads. "Maybe you'll be okay then. Don't people usually hear and smell that stuff when they see him?" They nodded, and sighed in relief. 

"You're right. I guess we'll be fine then, huh," Hyungwon murmured. We said goodbye to the principle and left the room, heading to class. He gave us late passes so we wouldn't be counted tardy. 

I got thirsty, so I waved Hyungwon on and told him I'd catch up after I got some water. He continued onto class as I leaned down to the fountain and drank the semi-cold water. I stood up and looked for Hyungwon. I couldn't see him. 

"Jaehyun," someone shouted, their voice laced with fear and pain. I ran in the direction of the voice. "Jaehyun, help me!"

I slid into an empty hallway, my shoes squeaking on the tile floor. I heard a shout from in front of me, so I ran that way. Another empty hallway. I spun around, listening for another cry. 

"Jaehyun," came the cry from my right. But it was softer, and less scared. What was going on? I ran down the hallway, turning down another hall in my pursuit of the voice. Was our school always this big?

"Jaehyun, you can go back to class now. I don't need your help anymore," came the voice. It was soft, and it sounded almost happy. I tripped as I tried to turn a corner, and I saw it. 

Hyungwon was against the row of lockers. A black stain tainted the skin of his neck. His shirt was in tatters on the floor, smoking itself away into nothingness. There was a black handprint on his chest, and it was starting to slowly spread along his skin. 

The Rose was standing in front of him. He was wearing the black suit, but he had shoes on. The suit was immaculate, and shone under the dim hallway lights like oil. Dark veins stood out on his pale hands. The white mask was in one of those hands. He had stark white hair, and sharp features. He was smiling at Hyungwon. 

Hyungwon was smiling back. 

His head turned towards me and he gave me a lopsided grin. The black had spread over his torso and was going down his arms now, faster than it had been before. 

"Hey Jaehyun. I'm glad you didn't go back to class. You can meet my new friend now. His name is Yonnie. He's very nice. Yonnie, say hi to my friend Jaehyun," Hyungwon said lazily. He sounded tired, about to fall asleep. 

'Yonnie' turned his head to look at me. His eyes swirled with a poisonous blue and purple light. He smiled at me, and it was a grin full of white teeth. His hair looked soft. 

He looked like someone I knew.  

Who did he look like? I couldn't tell, because a haze of cold, black fear was preventing me from thinking clearly. His smile suddenly turned cold and menacing, and his eyes filled with violent red. 

Slowly, he moved his arm towards Hyungwon. He pulled the mask over Hyungwon's face and kissed the tall boy's forehead. Hyungwon was much taller than the man in the black suit, but he looked so much smaller. The man had this presence, this aura that made him look bigger than he really was. 

He put his hand to Hyungwon's chest, where the handprint had been earlier. The black stain had covered Hyungwon's body by now, making his skin an odd, ashy black. Hyungwon's body started folding in on itself, like a piece of origami paper, and then he was gone. 

The man turned to me, and gave me one last feral grin, before disappearing in a swarm of black spiders and snakes. They started moving towards me, and I stood frozen for a few seconds before I turned and ran. 

They caught up to me, and I slipped on the overwhelming tide of them. I hit the floor hard, and laid there, too dazed to do anything to help myself. Too dazed to stop the things from biting me and burning me with their acidic, inky bodies. 

When I was finally able to do something, the first thing I did was scream. 

The second thing I did was pass out. 

And the third thing I did was fall into a pit of nightmares about the Rose and his hateful eyes.


	11. Hyuna's Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A (late) disclaimer, I don't think any of these people really act as I portray them, nor do I believe they are in these relationships (unless they are actually dating). I don't think hyuna and hyojong actually behave like this in their relationship. This chapter has slight angst (cause this story is too fast paced for proper angst) but then it gets kinda soft at the end.

I've been lying to Hyojong. 

I've been lying to my boyfriend. I don't want to, but I have to. He can't know the truth. He'd hate me. 

Hyungwon is gone, and so is that Hyunwoo guy, and Jaehyun has become reclusive. He's not as bad as Yoongi is, but he's not much better either. He's so suspicious of everything. He's been on a patrol, asking everyone if they've seen him. 

No one can know I have been. 

If anyone were to know, they'd tell Jaehyun. He'd interrogate me, maybe even scream at me if I didn't tell him anything. He hadn't been the most stable since Hyungwon and Hyunwoo disappeared. I was scared of him, and I didn't want to go against him. 

I was scared of Jaehyun's too-long hair and his wide, unforgiving eyes. I was more scared of another student than a serial kidnapper. But as much as Jaehyun scared me, the thought of leaving without Hyojong scared me more. So, I've been ignoring him whenever he appears, and he's been letting me so far. I don't think he will for much longer. 

"Hyuna, is something bothering you? Have I been doing something wrong," Hyojong said at lunch today, his voice soft and concerned. He looked scared. I immediately shook my head. 

"No, no, of course not! I'm fine, just a little stressed by school and stuff. You aren't doing anything wrong believe me," I told him. He looked sad. 

"You're hiding something," he whispered. He knew me too well. "You always say you're stressed when you're hiding something. Hyuna, what is it? Please tell me, I want to help you."

He was begging me. He was pleading with me to just tell him. But I couldn't. It felt like admitting that I was seeing what everyone was so scared of made it real. It felt like if I just ignored it, then nothing would come of it. I couldn't tell him. 

"I'm not hiding anything," I whimpered. He sighed, and ran his thumb over the back of my hand, and he stood up and left. He sat with some of his other friends, whish he'd had before we started dating. 

Before we were together. That feels like so long ago. It hasn't been all that long, really. We started dating after all this mess started up, and we'd both decided to ignore it. That's another reason I couldn't say anything to him. It'd be breaking a promise we made together, if I stopped ignoring the man in the mask. 

I'd looked back over at his friends' lunch table. He'd had his head leaning on Hui's shoulder. He'd looked so tired and small, so lost. It broke my heart, because it was my fault. But I couldn't acknowledge that I could see him. He'd take me away. 

Hyojong won't talk to me. I tried texting, but he said he couldn't talk. He doesn't answer my calls. He avoids me like the plague in school. 

I was miserable. I could hardly close my eyes without him flashing before me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't block out the sounds of bells. The perfume of roses invaded my nose, and nothing could overpower it. I was terrified out of my mind, because he was getting stronger. I was so scared it'd take me from Hyojong soon. 

I thought if I ignored it, everything would go away. I hoped it would leave me alone. I was wrong, and mow Hyojong hates me, and I don't want to leave without him. 

I can't escape the bells and roses, but I can talk to people. I can talk to Hyojong. Would he want to go with me? I doubt it, considering how I've been treating him. I doubt he wants anything to do with him, but I can try. 

So I asked the teacher if I could use the restroom and went to his classroom. I knocked, and the teacher let me in with a raised eyebrow. I scanned the room, and I walked over to where he was sitting once I found him. I had to look twice, because he was looking away from me, and he had his head buried in his arms. He was hiding from me. I crouched down in front of his desk. 

"Hyojong, please. I want to talk," I said softly. He shook his head. "It's important, please listen. Just for a little bit, and then...and then you won't ever have to talk to me again, if that's what you want." He lifted his head and looked at me. 

"I don't want to hear this. I don't want my heart broken, Hyuna. I...please, it's easier to pretend like this is nothing when I don't talk to you," he said. He sounded hurt, and tired. A tear rolled down my face. 

"Just a few minutes. That's all I want, Hyojong," I pleaded. He sighed, and looked up at the teacher. He nodded and Hyojong stood up. I followed suit, and we walked door of the classroom. He leaned against the wall, hands in the pockets of his jacket, one foot against the wall. He glanced up at me, and then back at the tiles. 

"Who is it," he asked quietly. 

"What? Who's what," I asked back. He sighed. 

"I asked my friends why you were hiding things from me...and they said that usually, it's because...well, when that starts happening, they said, it's because the other person is...cheating," he said softly. He wouldn't look at me, and my heart dropped. I stepped closer, but he immediately took his hands out of his pockets and put them in front of him. More tears slipped down my face. 

"Hyojong, that's not what this is," I whispered. He looked at me, and I saw that he was crying too. 

"Then what is it, Hyuna? What else could you possibly be hiding from me," he demanded, his voice still soft. He once told me he couldn't bear to yell at me. 

"I didn't want to say anything about it. I thought if I ignored it, nothing would happen. I tried so hard to ignore it but, I...I can't, anymore. That thing, the one that's been taking people. The reason Yoongi and Jaehyun have gone crazy and the thing that put Johnny in the hospital...I'm seeing him. I...we promised to ignore all this stuff when we started acting, and it would have been breaking out promise if I said anything. And I was scared that he'd take me away without you. So if I just ignored it, and pretended nothing was wrong, I thought it would just leave me alone. But I've only messed everything up," I whimpered, feeling very small. I had no one to blame for the situation I was in right now except for me. More tears spilled from my eyes. 

"Hyuna, look at me," Hyojong said. I looked up at him. He was walking towards me. He put a hand on my cheek, and ran his thumb over my cheekbone. He out his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. "You should've told me, Hyuna, because he's been talking to me. He's been saying that they're ready for us whenever we want to go. I was just waiting for you to tell me, but then you hid it and I thought...I started to think you were really cheating, and that you didn't want me anymore."

I looked at his eyes, open now. Staring at me like I was the only thing k. The world with any value. I loved the way he looked at me, and the way it made me feel. 

"Really? You aren't joking with me, are you," I asked. He shook his head. "Then, are you ready to go?"

"As long as it's with you, I'm ready for everything," he said. I smiled a small, bashful smile. 

I kissed him, and bells sounded around us. The scent of roses filled the air, and I had a thought for just a moment. I voiced it, and Hyojong smiled. 

"It sounds like wedding bells. It's like a wedding, don't you think?"

"May I kiss the bride," he said with a smile. 

"You may," I responded, and he kissed me sweetly. Clapping filled the air around us, and I opened my eyes to a forest scene when Hyojong pulled away. I turned my head, and I saw all the students who'd gone missing. Minhyuk and Seulgi seemed to be a thing, as Seulgi was all over him. Mark was hugging Donghyuck from behind, and Renjun was holding Jaemin's hand. Hyungwon was talking to Minhyuk and someone tied to a tree by black mesh. I recognized the person as Hyunwoo. 

"Welcome to the land of eternity Mr. and Mrs. Kim," Minhyuk said with a grand sweep of his arms, gesturing at the world around us. 

"You two are gonna have a great honeymoon. It's beautiful here," Hyungwon said. I smiled, and Hyojong threw his arm around my shoulder. 

"It really is," I said. Hyojong hummed and pressed a kiss to my temple. 

I was glad I'd finally talked to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'm going to focus on writing more than just this, so updates on this will only come when I happen to write another part for it


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